I was playing singles with this guy today and I couldn't even win a game. I tried running him side to side hitting the ball so hard it looked like it had been in a waffle press from my strings to no avail and off pacers didn't do anything as well. I was pretty free to do what I wanted with the ball but he was fast enough to get to anything I threw at him. He's not a great player but he runs down gets the ball back a lot until I screw up. Anyone have ideas to throw a guy like that off his game?

04-04-2010, 02:06 AM

tennisking1

Quote:

Originally Posted by clock-

I was playing singles with this guy today and I couldn't even win a game. I tried running him side to side hitting the ball so hard it looked like it had been in a waffle press from my strings to no avail and off pacers didn't do anything as well. I was pretty free to do what I wanted with the ball but he was fast enough to get to anything I threw at him. He's not a great player but he runs down gets the ball back a lot until I screw up. Anyone have ideas to throw a guy like that off his game?

Yes. Hit the ball directly at him until you get a short ball. Once you get that step in and pound the ball away from him. Or, you can attack straight at the person and get into net as quickly as possible. Keep a fast person as still as possible and push them into a corner until you get the shorter, more attackable ball where you can then step in and hit a shot that they don't have time to respond to. Don't go for ridiculous shots from far behind the baseline. You will be playing into your opponent's hands if you do. Wait for your chance and then attack. Don't forget about rolling the ball of of the court and then going back behind your opponent as they are sprinting back into the court.
Great tactic against fast players.

04-05-2010, 04:14 PM

clock-

Quote:

Originally Posted by tennisking1

Yes. Hit the ball directly at him until you get a short ball. Once you get that step in and pound the ball away from him. Or, you can attack straight at the person and get into net as quickly as possible. Keep a fast person as still as possible and push them into a corner until you get the shorter, more attackable ball where you can then step in and hit a shot that they don't have time to respond to. Don't go for ridiculous shots from far behind the baseline. You will be playing into your opponent's hands if you do. Wait for your chance and then attack. Don't forget about rolling the ball of of the court and then going back behind your opponent as they are sprinting back into the court.
Great tactic against fast players.

Thanks, I'll try it later this week.

04-05-2010, 05:22 PM

AlexLogan

Quote:

Originally Posted by tennisking1

Yes. Hit the ball directly at him until you get a short ball. Once you get that step in and pound the ball away from him. Or, you can attack straight at the person and get into net as quickly as possible. Keep a fast person as still as possible and push them into a corner until you get the shorter, more attackable ball where you can then step in and hit a shot that they don't have time to respond to. Don't go for ridiculous shots from far behind the baseline. You will be playing into your opponent's hands if you do. Wait for your chance and then attack. Don't forget about rolling the ball of of the court and then going back behind your opponent as they are sprinting back into the court.
Great tactic against fast players.

Yes. Usually seemingly fast players look faster than they are because they anticipate where you will hit next. This means that they are committing their body weight in one direction very soon after they return a shot. Fast players are often easier to catch off balance because of this. So try getting him off balance by hitting behind him.

04-14-2010, 08:30 PM

desertgeezer

I play a guy just like that. He runs down every thing. On top of that he hits every ball with slice. Forehand, backhand it doesn't matter, he always slices the ball. He slices it hard too. I could never beat him because he makes so few errors. I finally discovered that if I hit the ball right at him he was unable to make the small adjustments with his feet so his shots were weak and shallow. Someone else suggested hitting the ball right at the guy. That's good advice.

05-12-2010, 06:57 AM

SleekGeek

Quote:

Originally Posted by clock-

He's not a great player but he runs down gets the ball back a lot until I screw up.

Easy on the fast guy bashing :D There's still skill in anticipating and reading your opponent ;) I just hope that not too many people read this post who i play as they might give your suggestions a try lol

09-18-2010, 02:15 PM

legends70

[QUOTE=AlexLogan;19779]... they anticipate where you will hit next[QUOTE]
Exactly. Now I am fast and the way to beat people like this is you have to mix up your shots. throw everything on the table, slice, drop shots, lots of topspin, little topspin, short balls, long balls. they will know you have these shots, but they will never be able to anticipate as long as you keep them guessing.

09-19-2010, 07:42 PM

clock-

I just thought I'd follow up on this and say that my big problem was that I would hit a great groundstroke and get a weak reply but then instead of hitting through it I would hit a weak shot. It's the same problem I had with returning weak serves now I know to hit through it and come to net.

04-13-2011, 02:20 PM

larar1chards

If you're just repeating your shots then there's a huge chance that your opponent will be able to anticipate your shots. The best way is to hit directly to your opponent and mix your shots so she won't be able to anticipate it.

04-16-2011, 08:53 AM

robert_craig72

try mixing your shots! That would do it...

05-04-2011, 08:34 AM

PatrickTennis

A very good tactic against people that run everything down is to hit the ball back behind them. They are always anticipating that you will hit the ball into an open space and quite enjoy the chase. If you hit the ball back behind them they will not be able to change direction quick enough. The problem at the moment is that you feel that nothing is working. Once you get one tactic that works your opponent will play with less confidence. It is also a good idea to use as much variety as possible so that your opponent does not get use to a certain pattern of play. What I normally do against steady players is to hit short angles in order to force them to be more aggressive. Side to side is quite easy to deal with as they can be defensive but when the ball is shorter they are out of their comfort zone. I would also come into the net if I hit a good shot to the corner but to hang back a little to be ready for the lob. This way you willl get an overhead. If you miss it you can practice as this is the best play. Make them think..... You also need to be patient. Remember that they are winning because of your mistakes, wait for the right opportunity to attack. Best of luck. It is easier talking about it off court. Try and stay as relaxed as possible all the time.

02-29-2012, 06:17 PM

airforce1

Quote:

Originally Posted by tennisking1

Yes. Hit the ball directly at him until you get a short ball. Once you get that step in and pound the ball away from him. Or, you can attack straight at the person and get into net as quickly as possible. Keep a fast person as still as possible and push them into a corner until you get the shorter, more attackable ball where you can then step in and hit a shot that they don't have time to respond to. Don't go for ridiculous shots from far behind the baseline. You will be playing into your opponent's hands if you do. Wait for your chance and then attack. Don't forget about rolling the ball of of the court and then going back behind your opponent as they are sprinting back into the court.
Great tactic against fast players.